God's Heir
by Shaymin123
Summary: Light has become God of his new world. But he knows he can't live forever. He's going to have to pass his legacy onto someone. And who could be a better candidate than his teenage daughter who he'd been training for this? But things aren't going to be as easy as he thinks. He thought that everyone at Wammy's house had been eliminated. But there is still one left. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"_Kira's word is law, it is Him we must obey. He keeps us safe from criminals. He keeps us in our place. He is the loving parent of the world, keeping us from falling into chaos."_

"Very good Akiko, you may sit down."

I let out a sigh and closed the book, _Kira's World_, then sat back down on my desk. Why was this required reading? The book has no plot, no characters, just boring descriptions about how Kira is the most amazing thing ever.

Not that I should be surprised. Kira's the equivalent of God. You did something bad enough to be broadcast on the news? Something bad enough for people to complain about on the Internet?

Oops. You're dead.

You have to stay on his good side to stay alive in this world.

The bell rung, jerking me out of my thoughts.

"I suppose that's all the time we have today, class." My teacher closed the lesson plan.

Eager to leave, I slid my books into my bag and shot out of my seat, making my way to the exit. I didn't have much time.

I ran through the halls of my school, eager to stay ahead of the horde of students about to come free. Mikami, my manager, was sitting inside the black, shiny Honda. Checking his watch. Like he always does.

"Hey." I opened the door and climbed into the car.

"Akiko." He used his middle finger to push his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I had to cancel your photo shoot today."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows. "Why? Mikami, you're my manager. You're supposed to set these things up for me, not cancel them."

"Yes...but a...situation has arisen. Concerning your father."

"What? My...father? What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not obliged to tell you that."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think it will be better if you see it for yourself."

Mikami started the car and began to drive.

Could something have happened to my dad? Did Kira kill him?

No way, that couldn't possibly be true. It was true my father had spoken against Kira, had considerable power as head of the NPA, but...

Also, he would have told me if something like that had happened. The curiosity was eating at my insides. I could ask more questions, but Mikami was focused, his narrow, dark eyes not moving from the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles were turning white. Whatever questions I had, he wouldn't answer.

I let out a sigh. When Mikami reached the parking garage of our apartment building, he parked and we started up the stairs to the very top of the apartment building. My father and I live in a penthouse on the top floor.

Stairs are inconvenient, yes, but I'm claustrophobic. I can't stand elevators. It's like you're sealed in a coffin and pummeling towards your death.

When we got to our apartment, Mikami rapped on the door.

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

I looked up at him, but he wouldn't meet my gaze. My stomach started to turn. This was getting weird. Father _never_ leaves the door unlocked.

Mikami opened the door, and I walked inside the apartment. It's lavishly decorated, with black tile floors and ornate throw rugs. The kitchen takes up the right corner, and the living area the left. A glass staircase leads up to our bedrooms.

Father was sitting in his favorite black leather chair, facing the ceiling to floor length glass window. He spun the chair around to face us.

His brown eyes surveyed us from a distance, and he smiled. "Good work, Mikami."

"It is the least I can do, my lord. What would you like to do now?"

_My lord? _What? Since when did Mikami call my father _lord_?

Seeing my confused expression, Father's smile deepened into a knowing smirk. "You can leave now, Mikami. I need some time alone with my daughter."

Okay, now what was this all about?

Mikami bowed deeply, then exited the room and locked it behind us.

"Um, Dad?" I asked, taking a few steps closer. "What's this all about? Why'd you cancel my shoot?"

"Akiko, come over here," he said, twirling his chair back around to face the window. "I think it's about time we had a father-daughter talk."

"I...it is?" My eyebrow raised. "A talk that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"Absolutely not."

I tried to rack my mind for anything I could have done that would require a father-daughter talk, but nothing came up. I walked carefully towards my father, and sat down on the floor next to his chair like I used to when I was a little girl. He reached out and stroked my light caramel hair.

"Darling, I can't live forever," he started.

This statement took me aback. I flinched away from his touch. "Dad, I know that. Everyone who's over five years old knows that. What do you mean?"

"Well...I need someone to carry on my legacy."

"Your legacy? You want me to take over your job as head of the NPA?"

"No, no. What a silly idea."

"Then what do you mean by legacy?"

Father smirked and loosened his red tie. He started to unbutton his dress shirt.

My eyes widened. "Dad?"

"Everything will become clear soon." I saw that he was wearing something underneath his shirt, a harness of some sort. I watched as he reached inside his shirt and pulled out a black notebook.

"What's that?" I asked. "What's with the harness? Dad, can't you just tell me what this is all about?"

"No." He held the black notebook in front of my face, close enough for me to see, but far enough away so that it would be hard to snatch. "What do you think this is?"

"Well, it's a notebook, obviously."

"Think, Akiko. I didn't raise you to state out the obvious."

I let out a heavy sigh. "Well the fact you've got a fancy harness thingy for it and walking around with it strapped to your body means that you don't want anybody to steal it. It's important. And apparently has something to do with your legacy."

"Good. What else can you deduce about this notebook?"

"Well, there's not much else I can figure out without a little more information."

My father grinned. "Alright. I'm going to let you hold it now. Tell me what you've deduced about it afterwards."

He handed me the notebook, and I took it. I examined the book cover. It was completely black, with no markings on it at all. I opened the book and started to flip through the pages.

There were _names_ written in it.

Curious, I started to flip through the pages. Countless names, written in Japanese. Names I didn't recognize.

"What is this, Da..." I started, looking up from the notebook, but seeing something standing next to my father. Something very unexpected.

I let out a scream of surprise as the notebook flew out of my hands. Standing next to my father was something far too tall to be a human, but had spiky black hair that stood straight up. His limbs were skinny as bones, and his eyes weren't human. Yellow, no irises, and red pupils.

The creature smirked, showing rows of pointy white teeth and began to laugh, a horrible laugh that sounded like he was gargling rocks.

"So _this _is what you meant when you said something interesting would happen today!" He chuckled. "Oh, this is just too good..."

"Wha...what the hell is _that_?!" I cried, scooching backwards on the floor.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself, I'm not going to tell you. Use your deduction skills," my father replied, cool as a cucumber.

"B...but Dad...that thing...h...how am I supposed to figure out what it is?!"

"Don't worry. It's not going to bite."

My mouth dropped open, staring up at the monster. It looked down at me, starting to cackle again. "You're going to make her figure it out? It looks like too much for her mind to handle."

"She can do it. Give her a minute."

I looked down at the notebook, and slowly crawled forward, picking it up. "This creature appeared once I touched the notebook..." I started to flip through the pages again. I came across a page where two names were written in English.

"L Lawliet? Quillish Wammy?" I frowned. "I don't recognize these names. The fact that they're not in Japanese must mean that they're important."

"You don't? I'm disappointed." My father's expression changed to a straight line. "You don't remember Lollipop and Wham? The two evil characters in the bedtime story your mother used to read to you?"

"Of course I remember Lollipop and Wham...the smart panda with the craving for sweets and the stingy old heron who took care of him...trying to catch the little kid who had to power to control the lions from eating the zebras...making them eat grass instead..."

I started to flip farther through the notebook. Near the very end, I began to recognize the names written in the notebook.

They were criminals.

I recognized the last name as a criminal who'd been caught and broadcasted on the news last night.

He had died during the broadcast of his trial.

"Dad..." I closed the notebook and looked up at my father, who was grinning. A dread started to fill my stomach. "This notebook...doesn't happen to kill the people whose names are written in it, does it?"

Father threw his head back and started to laugh, a laugh I'd never heard from him before. It was horrible and terrifying.

Father killed people with this notebook.

My dad...was Kira.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Death Note. I only own my OC characters and the plot of this story.**

Chapter Two

"Oooh." The monster chuckled. "She's good."

"Not as good as I hoped, but I suppose it'll do." Father let out a sigh. "I was hoping you'd pick up a little earlier and come to the conclusion yourself."

"B...but...you're my dad..." I stuttered. "W...we're not supposed to keep secrets from each other...why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't have you go around telling everyone your father was Kira, now could I?" Father raised an eyebrow. "You might have let it slip. But now that you're older, and more responsible, you'll be able to keep it a secret. Especially now that you are going to become Kira."

"M...me?" I spluttered. "K-Kira?"

"Yes. I will ask Ryuk tomorrow to write my name down in his notebook. I will tell him to make it happen in twenty-three days. During that time, I will teach you to be God."

I turned from the monster, who smirked, then back to Dad in horror. "Wh...what? M...me, Kira? D...dad, you're crazy...I-I can't do it. I can't kill people!"

"You can and will." Father's eyes narrowed at me. "It isn't as hard as you think. It'll be easy for you. Everyone is too afraid to stand up to Kira. All you have to do is kill anyone who opposes us. Just a stroke of a pen in this notebook, Akiko..."

"No!" I cried out and put my hands over my ears. "N-no Dad, I can't! I...I can't be a murder!"

"Remember who you are talking to, young lady." Father stood up from his chair, furious. "I am justice! You should be honored to take on this job! It is not murder, it is a duty of honor that must be done in order to keep the world from falling into chaos!"

The monster, Ryuk, chuckled. I stared at my father. I had never seen him so angry. He had an insane look in his eyes.

Could I have not known the real man who'd raised me? How had he kept this insane side of him hidden away for so many years?

"I trained you for this, Akiko." He bent down and put his hand on my shoulders, staring into my eyes. "You may not have known it, but it's true. I trained you mentally and physically. You can do this, darling. I know you can."

"Y...you're insane," I gasped.

He smirked. "I'm not insane. I am God. The world is a better place because of me. You will be responsible for keeping the world a good place."

"Th-that's a lot of responsibility for a seventeen year old."

"I was seventeen when I became Kira."

There was a long silence as what he had just told me sunk in.

"T...this is insane. The world is insane..." I mumbled, putting a hand to my forehead.

"Come, Akiko." My father put an arm around my shoulders and helped me off the floor. He sat me down in his favorite leather chair. "I'm giving you the world, Akiko. Many people would be thrilled."

"I...I..."

Ryuk started to chuckle. "Come on, it won't be all too bad. Of course, there is the misfortune that everyone who uses the notebook encounters, but..."

"Dad?" I looked into my father's eyes, frightened.

"Please. Don't listen to that shinigami. He's all talk. Besides, what misfortune have we suffered?"

"M...mom died!" I shouted, standing up. "You don't call that misfortune? You don't call that suffering? Half of my life, I grew up without a mother!"

Father let out a heavy sigh. "Please don't bring her into this..."

"Did she know who you really were?" I challenged. "You didn't even seem the least bit sad when she got in that accident!"

"Darling, I was holding out for you. I wasn't falling apart because I was afraid you would," Father protested tiredly. "And as a matter of fact, yes. She knew who I was, and loved me for it. I met her because I was Kira. Without this notebook," he tapped the black thing, "you would not have been conceived."

"Nnn..." I let out a sigh and my knees wobbled. I toppled backwards into Dad's chair. "I...I think I need to lie down."

"Do you see now?" Father put his hands on the back of my chair. "Akiko. You must carry on the Kira legacy."

I felt sick. I literally felt sick. This was too much for an ordinary seventeen-year-old to handle. Why hadn't he told me earlier? Did I have to do this?

He was my father. I loved him. But heck...this was my life, not his. If I didn't want to spend it killing criminals, I wouldn't spend it killing criminals.

But it seemed like he wouldn't take no for an answer. So...I'd play along. For now.

I felt horrible for thinking it, but once Dad was gone, I could toss that evil thing out. The world couldn't have been so horrible without Kira. Could it?

"...Yes," I mumbled finally. "I see."

"Good girl." Father started to stroke my hair again. The creature cackled. "I'm going to ask Ryuk to start following you. So that you can get used to his presence."

I stared at the monster. This thing would follow me everywhere? Watching everything I do? I shuddered.

"Don't worry," Ryuk said, chuckling. "Your friends won't see or hear me unless they touch the Death Note."

I nodded slowly. "O...okay. C...can I go up to my room now? Alone? I need some time to think..."

"Yes," Father said and nodded. "You may go now."

I got up out of the chair and tried not to run up the glass staircase too fast.

I finally reached my room. The light blue shade of the walls usually cheered me up, but not today. I closed the door and stumbled to my blue bedspread, laying face down on the bed and sobbing. I lost Mother, and even though Father technically wasn't gone, it felt like he was.

He was Kira. He was dying in twenty-three days. Just twenty-three days, and I could get rid of that evil thing.

Did that make me a horrible person, for even thinking about throwing away my father's wishes? Do I deserve to die? It was people like that who Kira...Dad...punished.

Maybe he was right. Maybe the world really did need Kira.

* * *

"...So, you're telling us that whoever's name is written in this notebook, dies." The red-haired teenager stared at the monster standing across the room. Her long, skeletal legs appeared to be sewn to her torso, while her arms and neck appeared to be fused. Her whole body was black, except her bright red eyes.

She smirked, revealing rotten black teeth. "That's right."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The big, muscled mafia boss crossed his arms and stared sharply at the shinigami. "How is that possible?"

"Hey, how should I know." The shinigami shrugged. "It's just how we're able to survive. I don't know much else about it."

"So...why _did_ you give us this notebook, anyway?" The teenager put a piece of soft candy in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"It was...suggested to me. To relieve some boredom. I didn't chose you, you just happened to be the lucky ducks who picked it up."

"Hmm. Well, thank you shinigami. You've been very helpful in our investigation. I can narrow down my list of suspects quite a bit with this information."

"W-wait a minute K," The mafia boss asked. "So you actually think this is real?"

"But of course." The teenager's sharp hazel eyes focused on the boss. "This shinigami appears when we touch this notebook. Kira kills using heart attacks. It's obvious that something a little out of the ordinary is causing criminals to die. The existence of this notebook only confirms it. Shinigami, I'm going to ask you outright. Does Kira have a death note?"

"I believe so."

"Do you know who Kira is?"

"No. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," the shinigami scoffed. "What's the fun in that?"

"Does Kira have a shinigami?"

"Yes."

"So you can see him, then."

"Yes."

"Could I see it?"

"No. You haven't touched Kira's death note, so you can't see his shinigami."

"Interesting." The teenager grabbed his pencil and started to chew on the eraser. "This death note business sounds very complicated." He typed something into his computer.

"Hey, aren't one of you going to write a name in there?" the shinigami asked, turning from the teenager to the mafia boss.

"Well—"

"No," K said, giving the boss a death glare. "We are using this solely to find out who Kira is. We mustn't write anything in it. Its power is genuine, of course. The fact Kira exists and that this shinigami appeared proves it. We have no need to test it."

He turned back to the shinigami. "So you need a name, and picture of a face to kill. The shinigami eyes give Kira the ability to see someone's name just by looking at their face, correct?"

"Correct."

"How much of a face do you need to see to see someone's name?"

"K, you can't possibly be thinking about making my men trail your suspects!" the mafia boss snapped, standing up. "I want Kira gone as much as you do, but I can't afford to lose anyone! My business is failing!"

"I wasn't thinking about sacrificing your men. I simply want an answer."

"How should I know?" The shinigami shrugged. "I never paid that much attention before."

"Hm." K frowned, disappointed. "Well. I suppose we need to make a list of what we know. We know Kira exists." He took his pencil out of his mouth and wrote on a notepad. "We know he uses the death note. We know he has the shinigami eyes. We know he is here in Japan, because he kills immediately when criminals are broadcast on the Japanese news or made known to Japanese police. That is how we also know he is connected to the police. He can manipulate times and methods of death as well, is that true, shinigami?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Indeed." K nodded and wrote that down. "But what we don't know is how _many_ Kiras there are."

"How _many_ Kiras? What do you mean, K?" The boss asked.

"I was looking through old records, tiny fragments of old records, anyway, and I did find this one file that stated that N believed there was two Kiras, while the police was watching. One was labeled X-Kira. The other was labeled L-Kira. X-Kira supposedly had the eyes, while L-Kira did not."

"But why would there be two Kiras?"

"Because L-Kira was the head of the Japanese task force, I believe. He could not move freely. He needed X-Kira to do his killings for him. But...now that there is nobody after him, publicly after him, that is, L-Kira may have taken over and is doing the killings now. In which case it would be safe to approach him, without giving away a name, as long as X-Kira isn't near him. X-Kira may very well be dead, for all we know. L-Kira may have found him a threat and killed him off. But, we should continue this investigation as if X-Kira is still around, to be safe." He lifted his pencil from the paper and started to chew on the eraser again. "Yet, I have a fairly good idea who is L-Kira, at least. I believe it would be safe to approach him."

"What? You know who it is already?" The boss asked. "Who?"

"Light Yagami. Head of the NPA." K wrote the name in large, sloppy English letters. "He is the one who would have the most clearance to criminal's names. Besides...he was also the leader of the Kira task force."

"Well then, I'd say that clinches it." The shinigami smirked.

"Yes." K nodded. "Light is L-Kira. We simply have to find a way to catch him in the act."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. The only thing I own are my OCs and the plot of this story.**

**Thank you for the reviews, everyone! It's really the reviews that keep me writing, so please keep on reviewing! :)**

**Chapter Three**

I stared into the mirror. My caramel brown hair hung loosely around my shoulders like usual. I was dressed in a simple, dark blue dress. My usual churchgoing attire.

Father stepped into the room, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Let's go, darling."

We walked down all the steps, Ryuk following close behind us.

The church we go to is right next to our apartment building. The only type of church that exists nowadays. The church of Kira.

I noticed the corner of Father's mouth turning upwards in a barely hidden smirk of satisfaction as we walked towards the big white building. The colorful, stained-glass windows depicted a man, thunderbolts flying from his fingers towards the evil criminals down below.

We walked through the wooden double doors and sat ourselves down in a pew closest to the front. We waited for our white-cloaked pastor to begin the sermon.

"Please sir," I heard a voice behind me say, "Do take off your hood when in a sacred building."

I turned around to see someone in an oversized black hoodie and baggy jeans. Dreadfully underdressed for church.

"Sure thing." The person pulled back their hood. It was a teenager, not too much older than I was. His messy flaming red hair and startling green eyes marked him as a foreigner. He obviously wasn't Japanese. He sat cross-legged on the pew, his eyes darting around the building before finally setting on me.

Ryuk started to chuckle. Father turned away from the boy. "Wearing a hood in church? What's his reason for that, I wonder?"

That only made Ryuk laugh harder.

I looked away from the boy, instead focusing my gaze on the pastor as he took his place behind the podium as he began his sermon.

"Dad," I said, keeping my voice low, "why do we have to sit in on these sermons? Because you're..."

"Hush, darling. Don't talk about that outside our house."

"Heheheheh..." Ryuk began to giggle again. I wondered what he found so funny.

I always hated these sermons, but they seemed to take a whole new meaning now that Kira was the man sitting next to me. The man who raised me.

I kept sneaking glances out of the corner of my eye at him. He seemed to be _enjoying _this.

And of course, who wouldn't? Who doesn't like to be revered as a god?

I thought about me and how I might feel, coming to these sermons once I was Kira. If I chose to be Kira.

I suddenly thought about all these people, how they all looked up to Kira. Kira kept them safe. Kira was their strength.

Maybe Father was right all along. Maybe...I had to do this. Maybe the world really would fall to ruins if Kira were to just disappear one day. Their God would vanish. Who would they put their faith in then?

But then what would that make me? Would I turn out like Father? So drunk on the idea of playing God that I would go insane?

My stomach twisted as I thought of that.

I didn't want to be God. I only want to follow in Mother's footsteps and become a model/singer/actress.

I was up-and-coming, before Father made me retire. To learn how to play God.

I don't want to play God. But what about these people?

My mind began to spin around and around in circles, not really listening to the pastor ramble on and on. I felt dizzy. Merely the thought of becoming Kira made me sick. How could I do it? How did Father think I could do it?

It took me awhile to realize that the pastor had stopped talking. Everyone stood up. Father looked down at me.

My face flushed as I hurriedly got to my feet. People began to file out the double doors.

"I'm going to have a talk with the pastor," Father said. "Wait here."

I watched as he strode off toward the man clad in white, back straight up and on some kind of spiritual high. I let out a sigh and relaxed back down in my seat, staring at the heart with wings engraved in the wall of white marble.

"Excuse me." I heard a soft male voice from behind me. He had a soft English accent. I quickly turned around to face the boy with the hoodie. His green eyes stared into mine, his gaze intense.

"Y...yes?" I stuttered, entranced.

"I want to apologize for staring at you earlier. You seemed a little disturbed." The boy's eyebrow went up, and he purposefully cut eye contact with me. I was almost sorry. I wanted to get another look at his eyes. Instead, I focused on the fringe of his unusual red hair, growing over his forehead and tempting to fall into his eyes.

"N...no, it's fine." I said quickly. "I get stared at a lot."

I thought I saw the corner of his mouth curve upwards, but decided it must have been my imagination.

"I'm sorry anyway." He stood up, walked around the pew and sat next to me. "But, if I may ask one more question...your name doesn't happen to be Akiko Yagami, does it?"

My eyes widened. "Yeah, that's my name...how'd you know?"

His stick-straight mouth curved upwards. "I'm a big fan of yours, Yagami-sama. I've been one since your debut album, Uncovered."

My eyebrows raised. "Really? Well, it's great to meet one of my fans." I smiled brightly, giving him a hand to shake. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Katsu." The boy nodded solemnly. He took my hand delicately in his, then bent down and kissed it. I couldn't help it, I giggled. This kid was something else.

"Well Katsu, you can call me Akiko-chan if you like." I gave him my most radiant smile as he let go of my hand and reinitiated eye contact.

"Thank you, Akiko-chan. I'd like that." His legs moved up to the seat of the pew, and he folded them carefully so that he was sitting cross-legged. Weird. But nothing about this kid was normal from the start. I kind of liked it.

"Forgive me for saying this, but you're obviously not Japanese...where are you from?"

"Hm. An interesting question." I thought I saw his eyes cloud with anger, for some reason, but he turned away too fast for me to know for sure. "I was born in the United States and raised in the UK."

"Oh? That's cool. So my stuff is famous all the way over there?"

Katsu smirked. "It is a bit hard to come by, I admit. But the Internet is a wonderful thing. As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I came to Japan was that there was a slight chance of meeting you. About one and a half percent."

"R-really?" My face began to flush pink. "I-I'm honored."

"So am I."

Father walked towards us, frowning in disapproval. He seemed to have come down from whatever spiritual high the sermon had given him and in a sour mood. "Darling, time for us to go."

"O...oh." I said, disappointed. "Right."

Father glared at Katsu. To my surprise, Katsu stared right back.

"Your daughter is a very talented girl," he said. "I bet you're proud of her. Light Yagami of the NPA, I assume? Very nice to meet you." He bowed slightly, not wavering eye contact from my father. There seemed to be something behind that gaze, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Yes. And you are?" Father looked down at his clothing disapprovingly.

"My name is Katsu Shiboya. I happen to be a fan of your daughter's." He smiled at Father. "Well, I hope to be seeing you around."

"Yeah, see you." I smiled and waved as Father took me by the shoulder, steering me out the door of the church and into the busy street. I wondered if the walls of the church were soundproof. The noise outside was overwhelming after being in such a quiet place all morning.

"Damn it, where's Ryuk?" Father grumbled, looking around. "He vanished."

"I'm sure he'll pop up soon." I looked around the busy street, but there was no sign of the shinigami. Weird how I didn't notice how he'd disappeared. I must have been too engrossed in my thoughts or with Katsu, the fascinating foreigner.

"Whenever that shinigami vanishes, something's up." He opened the door to our apartment building and we walked into the lavish lobby. Crystal and gold chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the floors and walls were some kind of rare brownish stone with streaks of vibrant color.

"Dad, I bet he just ran off to grab an apple," I said, looking up at his face, etched with irritation.

"I don't like it," he said. "Shinigami aren't just supposed to vanish like that. Least of all Ryuk." We were about to reach the door to the stairwell, when Dad forcefully turned me to face him. "Akiko, I don't want you talking to that Katsu kid. He seems dangerous."

"What?" I asked, defensive. I pushed past Father and started up the stairs. "Why? There's nothing wrong with him. Sure, he's a little weird, but..."

"Wearing a hood in church? Who does that, unless they have something to hide from Kira?"

"Come on Dad, don't you think you're taking this a little too personally?"

"Katsu Shiboya can't be his real name. Look at him, he's not even Japanese! He's probably using an alias to protect himself. He's some kind of criminal."

"Dad, calm down. Just because his name is Japanese and he's not..." I began to trail off, remembering that he mentioned he'd been born in the US and raised in UK. And a Japanese name too?

Dad was probably right about the alias part. But if he had an alias, what would he need it for? I didn't want to believe he was a criminal. He was weird, but...

Whatever. I shouldn't think about him now. I have to learn a lot about the Death Note today. I'll have to become God in twenty-two days. Or at least, pretend to be interested in becoming God.

When we got back to the park, Ryuk was sitting in the kitchen, guzzling apples from our fruit basket.

"Ryuk!" Father snapped, shoving aside his trench coat and approaching the shinigami. "Where the hell were you?"

"Why should you care? Mmm..." Ryuk mumbled through a mouthful of apple. "The sermon got too boring, so I came up here to get a little snack."

"Hmph." Father walked to his leather chair and sat down in it, rubbing his temples. "I hope you can keep better watch over Akiko."

"Look, Light, I'm not your slave," the shinigami growled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm only here because you're giving me a show. And apples. But right now, the show's getting boring."

"Is it now?" Dad stood up from his chair and glared at the shinigami. "Well, don't worry Ryuk. Things will get more interesting soon."

"You've said that one too many times." Ryuk's eyes began to glow white. My stomach began to tremble. I felt an increasing dread in my stomach that for some reason, something really bad was about to happen.

"Light, I want to show you something. Something in my notebook."

Father's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me." The monster reached down into his death note holder and opened the book to a page with one name on it.

_Light Yagami, heart attack, 12:30 pm._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. I only own my OC's and the plot of this story.**

Chapter Four

"Wha..." Father stared at his name, eyes wide. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"R...Ryuk!" I cried. "Erase it!"

"Once a name is written in the death note, it cannot be erased." Ryuk smirked evilly, his horrible sharp teeth poking through his lips. "Light, you're going to die in forty seconds."

"N...no..." Father's pupils constricted, and he ran towards the shinigami, grabbing onto his leg. "No! I can't die yet! Why, Ryuk? I had so much more interesting things to show you!"

"No, you didn't. You would teach Akiko everything about the death note, and everything would go off without a hitch if I decided to go with your original plan. Everything was too perfect. Nothing interesting would happen if you didn't die now. You relied on me too much, Light. You've forgotten how easily I can get bored. Things have been too boring, for too long. Your act is finished."

I watched in horror as Father let out a groan of pain. He let go of Ryuk's leg, crashing to the ground.

"Dad!" I screamed, running to his side. I grabbed his hand. His grip was so tight, it hurt. I felt the circulation fade from my fingers. "No! Don't die! I-I'm calling an ambulance, okay? J-Just hang on!" I grabbed my cell phone and started to dial 9-1-1.

"P-Put that phone down, an ambulance isn't going to help me...L-listen carefully..." Father gasped. "M-Mikami...tell Mikami you are God..."

"Mikami?" I asked. I suddenly remembered how my manager had called my father lord. "He knows?"

"Y-yes. He is the eyes, Akiko, you will need..." he froze, his limbs going rigid, then limp. His grip on my hands relaxed. The tips of my fingers started to tingle as the circulation reached them once more.

"The eyes? What eyes?" I sniffled and shook his body. "Dad! Say something! Don't you dare die on me!" I fell forward, resting my forehead on Father's chest. No sound came from it. There was no gentle rise and fall from his chest. My fists clenched around the white cloth of his dress shirt. My tears soaked the material as I choked on my sobs.

Father was dead.

Both of my parents are dead. I'm an orphan.

My hand touched the smooth notebook hiding underneath Father's jacket. This thing. This evil thing. I needed to get rid of it.

I ran to the window of the kitchen, unbolted it, and held the notebook above the busy street, ready to drop it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice behind me made me flinch. I whirled around. Ryuk stood behind me, his eyes changed back to his normal red pupils and yellow whites.

"Y...you...you killed my father!" Anger rose up in my throat, and I ran towards the monster in fury. "Get the hell out of here, you bastard!" I tried to whack him with the death note, but it went right through his body.

"Nice try, girly." Ryuk grinned a horrible grin. "That can't hit me if I don't want it to. You probably shouldn't talk to a shingami like that. I might get angry and kill you."

I gasped and dropped the death note, staring up at the creature looking down at me. "That's better. Listen, Akiko. Your father was probably the most interesting human I'd ever come across. But since I'm stuck with you, you'd better make things interesting. Use this notebook, and I won't kill you."

I stared into his eyes in horror. "H...how can you do that? All this...for fun? For the sake of entertainment? H...how can you live with yourself?!"

"I'm a shinigami. Killing people is what I do."

I hugged the death note tightly to my chest, my body shaking involuntarily in fear.

I'd have to take over. I didn't have a choice. If I wanted to survive, I'd have to become Kira.

* * *

I drowsily awoke, slumped in a hard-backed plastic chair as I waited for my Aunt Sayu to arrive at the police station. How long had it been since Father died? How late was it? Maybe at least midnight.

"Akiko, darling." Aunt Sayu enveloped me into a big, warm hug. Her familiar scent of lilacs filled my nose. It helped me calm down. For a minute, I forgot I was stuck with the death note strapped around my torso, underneath the bodice of my church dress.

"I came as soon as I heard," she said, letting go of me and looking into my eyes. "Are you alright?"

No. I was not alright. So many things about this situation was _not _alright. I'm an orphan, I have to become Kira, and worst of all, I have a horrendous shinigami looming behind me. Watching everything I do, willing to kill me if I don't put on a good show for him.

In spite of all that was wrong, I somehow I managed to choke out "Y...yeah. What about your family?"

"They'll be fine. Uncle Toshi is watching the children." She smiled kindly at me. "I'll stay here with you and take you back home with me in the morning."

"W...wait. Back home? At your house?"

"Yes, of course. I'm your closest living relative...do you not want to live with me?" Aunt Sayu's face was etched with hurt.

Aunt Sayu has a set of twins. My little cousins, Hajime and Hiroshi. They're great kids, but the most inquisitive and trouble-making twins you'd ever meet. If I were to move in with Aunt Sayu and her family, they'd discover the notebook. I'd be screwed.

As if reading my mind, Ryuk began to chuckle. "Better find a way out of moving in with her, eh?"

"O...of course I want to live with you," I stuttered. "I-I'd just...like to stay here awhile. Y-you know, recover from one change at a time?"

Aunt Sayu let out a sigh. "Uncle Toshi can only watch the boys for so long. How long, do you think?"

"Just a couple days," I said quickly. _That should give me enough time to figure something out._

"Alright. We'll figure some of this out in the morning," she promised. "But it's been a long day for everyone, so I'll drive you down to your apartment."

"Okay." I nodded slowly as Aunt Sayu led me out of the police station. I got into her car, and we drove to the apartment. My home.

The drive seemed like hours, when in reality it was fifteen minutes. I got to the stairwell. With each step up the stairs my feet and resolve got heavier and heavier. For once, I wished I could take the elevator.

"You're going to have to kill someone when you get home," Ryuk hissed. "It would be a little strange for Kira to stop killing once Light was dead."

"I know," I mumbled underneath my breath. "Can't you be patient?"

"What's that, Akiko?" My aunt turned to face me.

"U...uh, it's nothing," I said quickly, reaching the top step and reaching into my pocket to pull out the keys. I fit them into the lock, unlocking the door. We walked inside.

"Oooh. It's been such a long day," Sayu sighed, giving her arms a stretch. "I think I'm going to sleep."

"Okay." I nodded blankly, stumbling over to Father's black leather chair. "I'm...going to stay up a little while longer."

"You're not tired?"

"N...no, I just need time to think." I sat down in the chair, staring down at the world below me. I was Kira. This whole world was at my mercy. I could tear it down if I wanted. The thought of that kind of power made me dizzy.

"Alright. Good night, Akiko. Let me know if you need anything."

As soon as I heard the door close, I slipped my phone out of my pocket.

"What are you doing, Akiko? Aren't you going to kill someone?" Ryuk asked.

"Before he died, Dad mentioned something about how Mikami was the eyes. I have to find out what that means."

I dialed his number. My manager answered immediately.

"Akiko, you're calling me in the middle of the night. What's wrong?"

I took a heavy breath in. "Mikami, I am God."

"What does that mean?"

"Father's dead."

Long silence. "Then you know about the book."

"Yes..." I reached inside my shirt and pulled out the black notebook, laying it on my lap. "I have it with me right now."

"Would you like me to hang onto it for you?"

I looked up at Ryuk. He slowly shook his head. "Mikami is so boring. He does the same thing every day."

I let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks for the offer. But no. I have to carry on Kira's judgments. Father told me himself."

Another silence. Mikami was probably thinking about what to do. "Very well, God. I will email you a list of names and faces of criminals he was planning to delete today. I advise spreading them out over the course of tomorrow."

"Spreading them out? What does that mean?"

"Yes, spreading them out. You can control the time of deletion. Didn't he tell you that?"

I glared at Ryuk. He shrugged. "It's more fun to let you figure it out on your own."

"No, I didn't know that." I let out a heavy sigh. "Very well, Mikami. Email me the file."

"Please let me know any way I can assist you. Your word is my will, God."

This felt weird. Too weird.

"Wait! Don't go yet," I said quickly. "B...before he died, Father said you were "the eyes"...what does that mean?"

"I have the eyes of a shinigami, Akiko. I can see someone's name simply by looking at their face."

My eyes widened. "No way."

"Yes. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

I probably would have plenty of questions later, but none right now. "No," I said. "Thank you, Mikami."

"You are welcome, God."

He hung up the phone. I slipped my cell phone in my pocket, spun Father's chair around, and walked to my room, death note clutched in my hand.

I was going to do it. I was going to become Kira.

Ryuk chuckled as I opened up my laptop and booted up my email. Within seconds, Mikami's email appeared. The criminals' pictures were sitting right next to their names.

My hands shaking, I laid the black notebook on the desk and opened it to the first page. I grabbed a pen. It hovered above the crisp, white paper. To think that the most dangerous murder weapon in the world was a notebook and pen. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, "the power of the pen".

I took a few deep breaths, closed my eyes, and my pen touched the paper.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. The only thing I own are my OCs and the plot of this story.**

**Wow, two chapters in one day. I really need to get a life. Anyways, enjoy, and review! :)**

Chapter Five

Lights flashed. Sirens deafened my ears. I was completely and utterly disoriented. In a state of complete panic and confusion. All I knew for sure was that something was wrong, deeply, disturbingly wrong.

Voices. I heard voices. Calling my name. Shouting my name. _Screaming _my name.

I turned around. People were running towards me.

"Akiko...Akiko Yagami...Kira...killer...murderer!"

I ran, though I wasn't sure where I was going. The angry mob chased me, yelling out accusations at me. I kept running, the blood pounding in my ears and sweat leaking from my pores. I didn't know what would happen to me if I got caught, but nothing good, that was for sure. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I heard their voices coming closer and closer. I was getting tired. I couldn't keep running forever.

Suddenly, an arm circled around my waist. It pulled me close to a warm, sturdy body.

"Let me go!" I screamed. "I haven't done anything! Please! Don't kill me!"

The mob closed in a circle around me. I recognized their faces. The criminals I'd written down in the notebook to die were all there, smirking at me, ready to watch me meet my fate.

"Regret killing us now, don't you, you little bitch! Die! Die!"

I counted all thirteen criminals gathered in front of me, and recognized all their faces. So who was holding me around my waist?

"Hello, Kira."

The voice. I recognized that soft voice. With the English accent.

"K-Katsu!" I stuttered. "Wh-what are you doing? What are you s-saying? I'm not..."

His other arm circled around my neck, pulling it back so that my head rested on his shoulder. He was holding me too tight. I could barely breathe. I looked up into his green eyes, his stare cold and polished.

"You are not God. You may think you're justice, but you're just a cold-blooded murderer. For that...you deserve to die."

"L-let go of me," I gasped. "I'm not Kira! Let me go!"

His arm around my neck squeezed even tighter. I gasped for breath, but no air would enter my lungs. I clawed at Katsu's arm, trying to make him let go, but nothing worked.

Red mist began to cloud my vision. Ryuk's horrid face suddenly appeared out of nowhere, laughing his horrible laugh.

"Humans who use the death note...they cannot go to heaven or hell. Don't worry, Akiko...you'll have plenty of time to figure out what that means."

I jerked awake, my heart beating fast and soaked with sweat.

Air. Sweet air. I breathed in and out, oxygen entering and exiting my lungs. I'd never take breathing for granted again.

The first thing I saw was the death note lying open on my desk.

I lunged out of bed, running towards it, knocking over my office chair in the process. I clutched it to my chest, breathing heavily.

"Glad nobody's found it, eh?" I flinched at hearing Ryuk's voice. I turned and saw him standing next to my bed.

"G...go away," I stuttered.

"I can't go away. I'm attached to that death note, remember?"

I let out a growl of frustration and shoved the evil notebook in one of my drawers. I latched it shut.

I righted my desk chair and sat down on the plush seat, elbows on the table, fingers clutching stray strands of my hair.

"I-I can't do it. Th...that nightmare, I-I..."

"Light had nightmares too. They'll pass. Besides, it's better than being dead, isn't it?"

I froze at that horrible last sentence. I'd forgotten.

"D-damn it Ryuk, you didn't have to remind me," I said, my voice shaking. I looked up, into my mirror hanging on the wall.

I looked a mess. I'd fallen asleep in my church dress, so the dark blue fabric was wrinkled. My "waterproof" mascara ran down my face and my eyes were red from crying so much. My hair stuck up at all ends, looking like it had just come out of a dryer.

I sighed. I wiped my face with a tissue, to get rid of the mascara dripping down my face and took a brush to tame my hair. I also changed into sweatpants and a black t-shirt. I didn't want Aunt Sayu to see me looking too bad.

I opened the door to my room and started down the glass staircase. The scent of fresh waffles made my stomach growl. I hadn't had waffles since I was seven. Since Mom was alive.

"Good morning, Akiko," Aunt Sayu said cheerfully as I slid my rear end onto a plushy stool at the countertop. "I made waffles."

"Thanks." I smiled weakly. I took a plate, two crisp, golden waffles, and poured maple syrup all over the waffles.

"How are you doing today? Better?"

"Better," I lied, smiling reassuringly. But really, things couldn't be much worse, could they?

I took a few bites of the waffle. It was hot, crispy, and sweet. But too much maple syrup.

The doorbell suddenly rung. I flinched, my grasp tightening on my fork.

"Oh my, I wonder who that could be? You weren't expecting company, were you, Akiko?"

"No..." I slid off the chair. "Um, I'll get it, Auntie." I ran my fingers through my hair, making sure no strands were out of place before opening the door.

My eyes met a pair of intense green ones.

Ryuk chuckled. I suddenly felt like I'd gone through rigor mortis. Every muscle in my body tensed. I stared at the teenager. Was my dream about to become reality?

"Hello, Akiko-chan. I'm sorry for the surprise visit." Katsu's eyes briefly strayed down to my sweatpants and t-shirt. "But I have something I have to discuss with your father. Is he home?"

"M...my father?" I stuttered. "U...um...he's...dead."

"What? Dead?" Katsu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Y...yeah." I looked down at the ground, determined not to cry in front of him, and leaned against the doorframe. "A heart attack. When we got home from church."

"I...I'm terribly sorry for your loss." He shook his head lightly, then turned back to look at me.

"Akiko, who's that at the door?" Sayu asked from the kitchen. "Let him inside, for heaven's sake!"

"O...oh. Right." My face flushed pink in embarrassment. "Come inside."

I stepped back and Katsu stepped into the house. His eyes darted around, drinking in his surroundings.

"Hello! My name is Sayu Uchicha. I'm Akiko's aunt." Katsu's eyes snapped to look at her.

"Hello, Uchicha-sama. My name is Katsu Shiboya. I'm a fan of Akiko-chan's." Katsu bowed politely to her. She giggled.

"What a gentleman!" She gave me an 'is-he-your-boyfriend' glance. I quickly shook my head, blushing. "Have you eaten breakfast, Shiboya-kun? Would you like a waffle?"

"I would like a waffle very much, thank you." He walked towards the stool and climbed onto it, somehow managing to balance himself while sitting cross-legged on top.

"Heheheheh. There's something weird about this kid, isn't there?" Ryuk giggled like a psycho maniac. I glared at him, then sat back down on my stool. I kept sneaking glances at Katsu out of the corner of my eye. I noticed he had a tendency to chew really slowly. Also, he seemed to be dressed in a similar outfit to yesterday, only his hoodie this time was navy blue. I listened to the sound of his soft voice answering Sayu's questions, the perfect soundtrack to my thoughts.

I thought about Father's warning yesterday. To stay away from him.

Katsu was an alias, that was probably true. But what was his alias for? If he was a criminal, would I have to kill him?

Maybe I was looking into this too much. Maybe he was just an ordinary, albeit _weird_ teenager.

But...where were his parents? If he was ordinary, why would he be sitting alone in church?

And he had wanted to talk to my father. Why did he want to talk to Dad? He was the leader of the NPA. Could he be connected with some kind of law enforcement agency?

But he was a teenager. A _teenager_. What kind of law enforcement agency would have a teenage member?

"Akiko-chan?" I felt a finger gently poke my shoulder. Jolted out of my thoughts, I turned to look at him.

"Y...yes, Katsu-kun?"

"I'd like to have a talk with you in private, if you and Uchicha-sama don't mind."

I looked at Aunt Sayu. '_Go,_' she mouthed. _'You can tell me all about it later._'

Ryuk started to chortle again. I really wished that monster would shut the hell up once in awhile. It was starting to get really annoying.

"Sure. Let's go up to my room. Thank you for the waffles, Aunt Sayu."

"Yes, thank you very much. They were delicious." Katsu bowed his head politely, then followed me up the glass staircase to my room. I opened the door to my room. His eyes looked around the room curiously.

"You like blue, I take it?" he asked, staring at my blue bedspread, teal walls, and indigo poster boards. "A nice color. I find it peaceful and relaxing."

"Th-thank you," I said, closing the door behind me and sitting down on my bed. "Um...what exactly do you want to discuss with me?"

"Mm. Well..." he put a thumb in his mouth, beginning to chew his fingernail and sat down on my desk chair, his legs tying themselves in a knot. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely truthful as to the reason I'm in Japan."

"You haven't?" I raised an eyebrow. "So you're not really my fan, then?"

"No, I am a fan of yours. You being here was an unexpected bonus."

I let out a sigh. "Well, what are you here for?"

"You may not believe me, but I am a private investigator."

"Hahaha." I let out a sarcastic laugh. "Okay, good joke. What are you _really_ here for?"

"I said you may not believe me." He smiled. His teeth were blinding white, but slightly crooked. "But, think about it. Why would I want to talk to your father, who was head of the NPA, instead of you, a beautiful, talented, up-and-coming young star?"

I blushed a little at the compliments. Was he trying to butter me up for something?

"Okay, you got me. So if you're a private investigator, you must be a whole lot older than you look."

"On the contrary, Akiko-chan. I went through emancipation about a year ago, when I was fifteen. My parents are deceased, you see, and I'm considered somewhat of a prodigy when it comes to investigating."

"Oh. I'm sorry." I looked at him, but he turned away slightly so that my gaze didn't match his.

"It's fine. It was a long time ago. In any case, the reason I am here in Japan is because I'm working on a case. My client is a very private person, so he doesn't want me to share many details. But I was hoping to get some help from the NPA."

"You were?" My eyebrows raised. "It must be a difficult case."

"I can easily say it's the toughest case I've ever tackled. But don't worry, I'll find the culprit soon." He smirked at me. There was something absolutely adorable about that smile, despite the crooked teeth.

No. Father was right about him.

He was a private investigator. A _prodigal_ private investigator. I couldn't afford to get too close to him. If he ever figured out I was Kira...

"Do you have plans tomorrow night?"

"What?" I was jolted out of my thoughts, again. "Plans? I...I..."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. That was out of line. That question kind of...slipped out." Katsu averted his gaze from me. "It's just...w-would you like to help me out on this case? You seem quite intelligent, and since you're the daughter of the late leader of the NPA..."

"You want _me_ to help you out on a case?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"I can understand if you don't want to. With your father deceased, your job and all."

"N-no, I'm just surprised." I blinked. "I'm taking a break from being a star anyway. Things've been getting too crazy for me."

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to your next movie and album. But in any case, I take that as a no?"

I didn't want to get too close to Katsu. But I _did _want to get close to him. He was just so..._interesting._ Something about him drew me in.

If Father thought he was dangerous, he was probably dangerous. If he uncovered my identity as Kira, things could end badly for me. But what if I was careful? What if I could get to know him enough so I could predict him?

What if I could figure out his real name, so if needed, I could kill him?

I swallowed a lump in my throat. I was already starting to think like Kira would.

_You have to start getting used to it, sweetheart. You are Kira now._

"Yes. I mean, yes, I want to help you, not yes, it's a no."

"You will?" Katsu looked up from his thumbnail-biting. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course," I said, nodding. "I'm going to need something to take my mind away from my...my loss. I can't think of a better way to honor him than to help a prodigal detective solve a case."

"Mmm. Very well." He nodded. "Thank you for agreeing to help me. May I please have your cell phone number?"

"Okay." I took a scrap of paper lying on my desk and wrote my number on it. I handed it to him. "Aren't you going to give me yours?"

"I'll text you from my work line the time and place tomorrow to meet. You'll know when it's me, don't worry." He slipped my number into his pocket. "I don't want to leave a record of my number anywhere. A private detective like me has many enemies."

"O...oh." I nodded. "That makes sense, I suppose." I wondered what kind of enemies Katsu had. Maybe if he'd post pictures and names of his enemies on the internet...

"Why don't you post names and pictures of your enemies online? Maybe Kira would take them out for you, so that you can be a little more open with people?"

Instantly I realized that was the wrong thing to say. A dark cloud seemed to pass Katsu's face.

"I don't like other people doing my work for me. It's an issue of pride, you see. I want to track my enemies and punish them myself. If you simply just post pictures and names on the Internet and Kira kills them, what's the fun in that? Besides, they don't all deserve the death penalty. I believe everyone should get a chance to reform."

I felt like there was a bigger story behind his explanation. I didn't sense annoyance from his tone, it was more like anger. Hatred, even.

But as soon as the dark cloud appeared, it vanished. His face returned to his usual, straight, expressionless expression. "But in any case...I believe I have to be getting out soon." He checked his watch and nodded.

"O...oh. Okay. I'll walk you out." I opened my room door and walked down the staircase, Katsu following close behind me. I saw Aunt Sayu standing in the kitchen, peeking over her newspaper, watching us.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Akiko-chan?" He turned to face me before exiting.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Tomorrow."

I leaned against the doorframe, watching him walk past the elevator and towards the door to the stairwell.

He didn't like elevators either? I let a small smile cross my face.

Katsu Shiboya. Was he friend or foe?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. I only own my OC's and the plot of this story.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to school starting and editing my own original novel, I'm going to be updating less frequently, but hopefully regularly. I'm going to aim for a new chapter every week, and if that doesn't work, two weeks. I'll update weekends. Thank you for reading my stuff and please review! :)**

Chapter Six

Katsu walked back from Akiko's apartment, deep in thought.

_I'm a fool. How'd that question about meeting her tomorrow pop out of me? A Freudian slip, perhaps? Do I want to see her again?_

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he climbed the steps to the old wooden door. An abandoned apartment building. The mafia hideout.

"Oy, K, you catch Kira yet? Ahahahaha." The boss's right-hand man, Gorou, laughed.

"Go away, Gorou. Leave me alone for awhile. I have to think. Something's happened that's changed everything."

"Oh really? What's that?"

"You'll find out later." Katsu gritted his teeth in anger. His suspect had slipped out of his hands.

_Could Light Yagami have found out I suspected him and pulled a fake death on me? No, that's impossible. He couldn't have figured out I was investigating Kira in the few minutes that he'd known me. Could I have been wrong? Could Light have not been L-Kira? _

He shoved the door to his room open, and jumped onto his twin bed, thumbnail in mouth and legs tied in a knot. He needed to think.

"Rough day?" Katsu opened his eyes and stared at his roommate, Masaki. The boss's son. His narrow brown eyes stared at him.

"I didn't see you there. I'm sorry." He let his eyes close again, trying to get lost in thought again. He didn't have the time or patience to deal with Masaki today.

_Light must have been L-Kira. All the evidence pointed to it. So why is he dead?_

"You're like, in another world."

He opened his eyes again, glaring at Masaki. "I highly suggest you leave me alone right now, Masaki. I have to figure out what my next move will be."

"What's happened?"

"If I tell you what happened, will you let me think?"

"Sure, bro. Come on, spill the beans."

"My L-Kira suspect is dead."

Masaki's eyes widened. "That's rough."

"Yes. Now please leave me alone so that I can think this through."

_Light is L-Kira. Light is dead. Of a freak heart attack. It must have been the notebook. Is it possible that X-Kira, the Kira with the shinigami eyes killed him? There's only one Kira in this world now, and I don't know who that is. I'll have to investigate the people Light was close to. That includes...Akiko._

"May I have a piece of chewing gum?"

"You're going to have to stop mooching off me if you're only going to give off vague details of your investigation," Masaki grumbled, handing Katsu a stick of mint chewing gum. He accepted it, putting the piece in his mouth and chewing slowly, thoughtfully.

_Could Akiko be X-Kira? I don't think so. If she were X-Kira, she would have killed her father. If she was X-Kira, I think she would have been able to reach that psychological level of killing without a bat of an eye. Judging by her appearance when I reached her door, she didn't seem to have reached that level. Though, you can never be sure... maybe I'm just trying to convince myself she's innocent..._

"Hey, man. Aren't you going to tell me a little more?"

Katsu took a deep breath, trying to control his tone of voice. "Masaki, you're not helping me come up with a solution."

"Well, maybe I can help you if you explain a little more. I'm no detective, but I'm sensing there's a little more behind your mood than just the case..."

He flinched. "What exactly do you mean? I want to find out who Kira is and bring him to justice. This case simply means the world to me. And to have my suspect just...slip out of my fingers..."

_In the case that my emotions are in the way, I have to distance myself from her. But she is Light's daughter...perhaps she can help me. She probably knows about possible X-Kiras. I just have to swing this situation to my advantage. She seems to share the public opinion of Kira, judging by her comment about my enemies. If she were to find out exactly who I was investigating, she could turn on me. Or if she is indeed X-Kira, she'd kill me...is it worth risking?_

"Hello, _Katsu_." The red-haired teenager, jolted out of his thoughts, looked up at the monster who'd just emerged through the wall.

"So there you are, Yori. I was wondering where you'd run off to when I was with Akiko."

The shinigami smirked. "Would you like to know?"

"Of course. But you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Damn right I'm not." The lithe monster lounged on Masaki's bed, who instantly jumped up to prevent the shinigami touching him. "Go get me an orange."

Yori the shinigami was the only thing that could turn big, buff Masaki into a whimpering servant boy. "Yeah. I'll go get it."

_In any case, I already asked her to meet me tomorrow. I need to come up with some sort of fake investigation for her to help me work on. Or, maybe I can just come up with a test. A test of her reasoning skills. That's reasonable, isn't it? I want to know exactly how smart she is if I want her 'helping' me. If she doesn't pass, well, I can assume that she's innocent and I don't need anything more to do with her. However, if she DOES pass...she could be a great help to me. Or could be X-Kira...it's a double-edged sword. Of course, if she pretends to fail the test she could also be X-Kira. But if she was X-Kira...wouldn't I be dead already? She'd see my real name. But...just a private investigator isn't much danger. She probably thinks I'm just looking at an ordinary case... Either way, it's hard to tell._

"So, Akiko Yagami huh?" Masaki asked, walking into the room and tossing Yori an orange. The shinigami began to peel the fruit with her long, sharp fingernails, dropping the skin into her mouth. He shuddered.

"Yes. She happens to be my suspect's daughter. I have to investigate her thoroughly."

"Investigate her, eh? Exactly what kind of investigation?"

"What do you mean, what kind of investigation? I'm going to find out if she's X-Kira, of course. What other investigation could I do?" Katsu raised his eyebrows.

"You know..." Masaki glanced at Yori, then leaned closer to Katsu. "Investigate...her pants." Yori snickered.

Katsu frowned. "I don't think I have to go that far."

"Dude! She's hot! She's a star! I'd tap that ass..."

"Please refrain from using such vulgar language, or I'm afraid I'll have to regurgitate on your face."

"What the hell does 'regurgitate' mean? Look, point is, she's hot. You can bang her and say it's all for the case! How awesome would that be?"

"I do not want to, as you so disgustingly put it, 'bang' Akiko." Katsu's face flushed slightly while saying the word. "Yes, she is attractive, but I have no time for such things."

"I think someone has a crush..."

"Shut up, Masaki. I do not have a crush."

"Yes you dooo! You're blushing! Katsu, the emotionless private investigator has a cruu-uush!"

Katsu closed his eyes and breathed deeply, keeping his anger under control. "I do not have a crush on her. I simply am a fan of her movies and music."

"You are not. You only started looking at those videos yesterday!"

"One can become a fan in a day, Masaki."

"Not so much of a fan that you're blushing every time I mention her..."

Katsu's eyes clenched tighter. "I do not have a crush on Akiko Yagami. It's up to you whether or not you believe me. But please leave off for now, I have a case to work on."

"Yeah, yeah, Romeo." Masaki got up off the bed and headed toward the door, leaving Katsu alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"Pffffftt." I walked into my penthouse, shoving my book bag on the countertop.

"Long day?" Aunt Sayu looked up from her iPad. I yawned.

"Yeah. Long day. Everyone's shoving sympathy cards at me...I don't have to be reminded Dad's gone." I let out a sigh and fell into Father's leather chair, twirling it around to look out the window.

"School is as boring as it was while Light was going," Ryuk mumbled. "Akiko, you'd better have some apples for me later."

"Oh Akiko, do you need to talk?" she asked, laying her iPad down on her countertop. "I'm always here..."

"That's okay," I mumbled. It's not something you can help me with.

I looked from the window of the world to my cell phone, waiting for that text from Katsu. He said he'd text me yesterday saying when to meet today, but he hadn't yet. What was taking him so long? I started to spin around in my chair impatiently.

"What are you doing? You should be killing criminals now. You haven't written any names in the notebook yet today." Ryuk grabbed the back of my chair, almost making me fall out.

"Go away," I mumbled, quiet enough so that Aunt Sayu wouldn't hear. "Aunt Sayu, I'm going to study in my room. Please don't disturb me."

"Yes, Miss Honors Student. Ah, top of the class...just like your father."

Just like my dad. She had no idea.

I sighed and climbed up the glass staircase, latched the door to my room, and booted up my computer.

"The reason I haven't been killing criminals yet is that I'm waiting for an email from Mikami. He's giving me the names and faces of a few more criminals for me to...get rid of." I swallowed sharply. "I also want to see if I can arrange a 'run-in' between Mikami and Katsu..."

"Ooooh, you're going to kill that Katsu kid?" Ryuk began to chuckle.

"No..." I shut my eyes, thinking. "Not if I can help it. I don't want to kill him. But if he hates Kira, I can't have him finding out who I really am. I'll have to have his name as insurance."

"You don't want to kill him? Why not?"

"I don't want to kill anyone, Ryuk. You're forcing me in this position," I snapped, glaring at the hideous shinigami. He shrugged.

"You're not enjoying it, even a little?"

I let out a sigh. A lump settled in my stomach as I reached for my drawer where the notebook was hidden.

"I'm not. But sometimes...I get the feeling that it has to be done." I pulled the black book out of the drawer and let it rest on my desk. "Sometimes I think Father was right. That it's my duty to do this. That maybe the world needs me to do this. I mean, look at all the people in the church. They depended on Dad... and now me... to keep them safe. If I were to abandon them now, what would happen? So, I feel obligated. I'm using this murder weapon out of obligation, but I still feel this intense... guilt..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Ryuk rolled his eyes. "I don't care about your touchy-feely crap. It bores me."

"That's really rude, telling people their emotions bore you." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Doesn't matter. I'm a shinigami."

I rolled my eyes, turned to my computer, and checked my email. I read through the list of criminals to be put to justice today.

Suddenly, my phone made a beeping noise. I grabbed it and opened it. The message was from a restricted number.

"Ohoho. Your date's texting you."

"Shut up, he's not my date." I smiled anyway.

I spun my desk chair and flipped open the phone, reading the text.

_Meet me Coffee Beans at 6. Back table. ~K_

"Ohohoho, Coffee Beans? Where's that?" Ryuk snickered.

"The coffee shop near To-oh university," I said. I checked the time. "Oh gosh, it's almost 5:30! I have to get ready!"

"Get ready for your date?"

_"Shut up!"_


End file.
